Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is facing pressure from Members of Parliament and campaigners to prevent controversial right-to-die advocate Dr. Philip Nitschke, often referred to as 'Dr Death,' from entering the United Kingdom. Nitschke plans to demonstrate his new 'suicide collar' device in London on Saturday, just days before a crucial vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, scheduled for September 11.
MPs and advocacy groups are urging Mahmood to utilize her authority to block Nitschke's visit, citing concerns over the promotion of suicide. Senior Conservative MP Sir John Hayes stated it is "deeply disturbing" that Nitschke intends to "advertise his latest sinister suicide device in this country" and called for an urgent review of the decision to allow his entry.
"We should not be promoting suicide," Hayes said, adding that the planned event serves as a "sobering reminder of how an assisted suicide industry would likely emerge and be promoted should MPs vote next week to change the law."
Alisdair Hungerford-Morgan, chief executive of Right To Life UK, echoed these sentiments, calling on the Home Secretary to "urgently intervene to prevent Mr. Nitschke from entering the UK to demonstrate and promote this dangerous device." The organization highlighted that Nitschke's visit comes shortly before MPs vote on the assisted suicide bill.
The Kairos suicide collar, Nitschke's latest invention, is described as a device with two balloons that exert pressure on vital arteries, leading to unconsciousness and death. Nitschke himself explained its function: "It works like an airbag in a car: press the button, it bangs, you pass out and die."
Nitschke has previously faced controversy. Earlier this year, he stated his intention to carry out the first assisted death using the collar on a woman in Switzerland. In 2024, a 64-year-old woman used his Sarco suicide pod to end her life, marking the first such case. Swiss police subsequently arrested several individuals on suspicion of inciting, aiding, and abetting suicide in connection with that death.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, reintroduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, proposes allowing adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. This would be subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel. Legal experts have indicated that if the Bill passes, devices like the Kairos collar or Sarco pod could potentially be used legally for assisted deaths.
The Bill originally ran out of time in Parliament's previous session after being introduced in October 2024 but has been revived. The Home Office has stated that it does not routinely comment on individual cases.
